Majority of upstate voters see N.Y. going in wrong direction

A Siena College poll released Monday shows New Yorkers evenly split on whether the state is headed in the right direction, but only 32 percent of upstate registered voters are thinking positively.

Statewide, 44 percent of those surveyed think New York is headed in the right direction, with 44 percent thinking the state is headed in the wrong direction. The remaining 12 percent did not know or did not care, the poll states.

In Upstate New York, 57 percent think the state is heading downward, and 11 percent did not know or care.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is viewed favorably by 62 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 32 percent, with 6 percent not knowing or having no opinion. His rating in September was 64 percent to 32 percent, with 4 percent undecided.

By a narrow margin of 49 percent to 45 percent, respondents endorsed a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow non-Indian, Las Vegas-style casinos in New York. That is up from 46-46 percent last month.

When respondents were read the wording that will appear on the ballot, support for the amendment increased to 56-40 percent. It was 55-42 in September.

The survey was conducted Oct. 14 to 16 with telephone calls to 822 registered voters. The margin of error was calculated at 3.4 percent.